Freedom
by AllOrNone
Summary: Melissa and Rachel get infested. Is the fight over? Or is there more to this game than there seems?


Disclaimer: Who told you I owned Animorphs! I'll kill that person! Get those thoughts out of your head this instant! I've NEVER owned Animorphs, I DON'T own Animorphs, I most likely never WILL own Animorphs. 

Chapter One: Infestation

My name is Melissa. I wish I could tell you that there was no way you could know my last name, because that would make it harder for the others to find me. But you know my last name is Chapman. I still won't, however, tell you where I live. There's no need for you to know that, and it will probably make it harder for the Yeerks to find me.

Yeerks. Tiny grey slugs that crawl into your ear, wrap around your brain, and take control of your mind. You still control your body, but not your mind.

I know. Bad attempt to lighten the mood. You don't control your body either. It was a feeble attempt at a joke.

But the point at which this story begins, I didn't know that. I didn't know about the Yeerks. I was just an average girl.

"Hey, Melissa, want to go somewhere after school?" some guy called Rick said to me. Then Rachel came over.

No, wait. That's not how it happened. Rachel came over first and started to say something when Rick interrupted asking if both of us wanted to go somewhere.

I'm sure it was like that because Rachel said, "It all depends. Where are we going?"

"Just a party. There'll be games, food. The whole lot," Rick said.

"Party?" I asked. "What's the occasion?"

"No occasion, just a simple get together."

"I'll be there," I said eagerly. I wanted to be at a party.

"I think I'll go too, where is it?" Rachel said.

"Down at Lisa's place. Four o'clock."

* * *

That's why at Four that afternoon, I found myself at Lisa's house. Rachel was arriving, too.

"If this is a party," Rachel said slowly. "Where are the other guests?"

"Yeah," I said, suspicious. My instincts were telling me to get out of there.

I never got to follow my instincts. I saw a red beam, then passed out.

* * *

I opened my eyes and heard a sigh of pleasure.

/Color/ I heard a voice say. /I haven't seen it for so long./

My head turned of its own accord and I saw Rachel waking up.

"Aftran 943 and Edriss 362, are you both in control of your new hosts?" asked Lisa.

"Yes, Jiklet 145," Rachel and I said in unison.

_Wait a minute!_ I thought. _I didn't say anything!_

/I did/ the voice said. /My name is Aftran 943. I was a very good friend of Aftran 942, as was Edriss 362. Jiklet 145 was, but not good enough to know her true secret/.

/What the heck are you talking about, whoever you are/

I felt something looking at my memories. /OH/ the voice- Aftran 943?- said, surprised. /You didn't know! I'm sorry, I'd heard you were a very good friend of Rachel's, so I automatically assumed you knew her secret./

"Good," Lisa's voice said. "Then you may report to your host's homes."

/What secret/ I asked. /What are you talking about/

/Rachel, Jake, Cassie, and Marco all share a secret. You know of them, some better than others. They share a burden. You sometimes feel as though the weight of the world's on your shoulders. You know nothing about it. They do. They carry the fate of the world in their hands./

/Theirs alone/ I said, confused. Maybe a little scared.

/No, not alone. Theirs, a few android friends, and ours./

/Ours/ I said. I was getting more confused by the second.

/By "ours" I mean me and the others in my group, not me and you. So you're not included in that "ours."/

/WHAT GROUP/ I yelled, even though it wasn't out loud. I was getting frustrated. I wanted some straight answers.

/I am ashamed to admit that your world is being invaded. And more ashamed to admit that it is my people who are doing the invading./

/Yes/ I said, pleased to finally have one thing clear.

/We are called Yeerks. In our natural form we are little different than your slugs. We crawl in through an ear canal. Our slug-like body wraps itself around a brain and take total control. Our people have been trying to take over your planet for years now./

/What's stopping you/ I asked.

/Well, it takes a while to enter an ear. Anyone could just pull us right out. We need Kandrona rays, a type of energy, every three days, tops, or we die. And Rachel, Jake, Marco, and Cassie. Plus a "weed" as your average Yeerk puts it, called the Yeerk Peace Movement. We don't believe in taking and controlling hosts against their will./

/You took and controlled me against my will/ I pointed out.

/Just because we don't belive in it doesn't mean we won't do it for the host in question. We prefer to _help_ the host. If I hadn't taken you, someone far less kind would have./

"Dad, I'm home," I automatically said as I entered the door.

I was already in my room when I realized.

_I'd_ said it. Me! By my own free will! And I'd gone up to my room on my own.

/About time/ the- Yeerk was it?- said. /I was beginning to worry that I would have to tell you. Are you happy now/

"No, not yet," I said out loud. "Hold it! If…"

/SHH/ said Aftran. /Not so loud! Your father and mother aren't in the Peace Movement! They may report us! I'd be dead, and if they didn't kill you, they'd catch the Animorphs/

/Sorry. If your people know who is resisting them, why let them fight/

/We know because Cassie took a risk and allowed Aftran 942 into her head. The Yeerk Peace Movement knows, your average Yeerk doesn't./

/Oh/ I said. /Well, if Rachel has one of your people in her head, why aren't they done for/

/I _told_ you already! Edriss 362, the Yeerk in Rachel, was a good friend of Aftran 942's. She's one of us/

/That clears it up. Why do you keep referring to this Aftran 942 in past tense/

/She's missing and presumed…/ she trailed off here. I sensed sadness.

/What's wrong/ I asked.

/Aftran 942 was more than my friend, she said. She was… my sister. We think she's dead, after the Animorphs, Cassie we think, rescued her./

I thought for a minute. That didn't make any sense.

/Umm… If they saved her, wouldn't she still be alive? I mean, you generally save someone to keep them alive, so, what/

/You weren't paying attention to my speech about Yeerks, Aftran said, annoyed. We need Kandrona rays every three days or we die! Without access to Kandrona rays, Aftran 942 would have died./

/Oh yeah/ I said. Now I remembered that speech.

/When I go to the Yeerk Pool, you'll be free for a while. I'm going to have to talk with Edriss 362-/

/Who/ I asked.

/Rachel's Yeerk, tomorrow to find out if she's going to classify Rachel as voluntary or involuntary./

/What's the difference/ I asked.

/Involuntary hosts are put in cages. Voluntary ones are left in a social area. A sort of park, without the grass, with TV./

* * *

What do you think? Interested? Okay? Boring? Whatever it is, tell me in a review! 


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